President Donald Trump might really be souring on billionaire oligarch Elon Musk. And it’s getting petty in exactly the ways you’d expect.
Trump held a press conference Thursday with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office of the White House, where the president was asked about topics like his new travel ban, his conversation with China’s president Xi Jinping, and the war between Russia and Ukraine. But it was a question about Musk that seemed to get Trump most animated, as Trump is always extremely comfortable discussing reality-TV drama, including their recent conflict over the Republican budget bill.
Where is this guy today?? https://t.co/qcLNVSYEIB
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025
Musk has been tweeting up a storm this week, imploring Americans to call their representatives and “KILL THE BILL” because it doesn’t cut enough spending, despite projections that it will cut Medicaid by $800 million and cause about 10 million people to lose their health coverage. Musk took a chainsaw to the federal government as the head of DOGE, but has clearly been frustrated with his inability to cut even more than the $150 billion he claimed.
Trump was asked Thursday by a reporter whether Musk’s criticism of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill put it in danger of not passing. Trump said he liked Elon and, “he hasn’t said anything about me that’s bad,” adding that he’d rather see the billionaire criticize him than the bill. Trump mentioned that Musk’s hand-chosen pick for NASA administrator was withdrawn as the nominee because he was a Democrat, and suggested the move might be part of why Musk wasn’t too happy right now.
Private astronaut Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA had made its way out of committee and was on heading to a final vote in the Senate before it was abruptly yanked by the White House, just a day after Musk’s “farewell” press conference on Friday.
“I can understand why he’s upset. Remember, he was here for a long time. You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval Desk,” Trump said, apparently referring to the Resolute Desk.
Trump went on to poke fun at Musk’s black eye, which the billionaire said he got when he asked his 5-year-old son to hit him in the face: “And even with the black eye, I said, do you want a little makeup? We’ll get you a little makeup. But he said, no, I don’t think so, which is interesting and very nice.”
Trump, of course, said at that May 30 press conference that he didn’t even notice the black eye—one of those transparent lies that Trump says as a joke to ridicule someone to their face.
Trump went on to say he was “very disappointed” in Musk because he knew what was in the bill, and said the Tesla CEO only developed a problem because the legislation was cutting an electric vehicle “mandate.”
“He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem. And he only developed the problem when he found out that we’re going to have to cut the EV mandate because that’s billions and billions of dollars,” Trump said.
In reality, there has never been an EV “mandate” at the federal level, though some states are trying to phase out gas-powered cars, which has been addressed in different legislation from Republicans who have sought to outlaw any future ban on cars with internal combustion engines. The so-called Big Beautiful Bill doesn’t address any “mandate,” but the Senate passed a bill last month to stop states like California from trying to do that.
“And when that was cut—and Congress wanted to cut it, he became a little bit different. And I can understand that,” Trump said, claiming Musk “never had a problem until right after he left.” Trump went on to point out how much Musk has previously praised the president. But he predicted Musk might be saying some bad things about Trump in the future.
“And if you saw the statements he made about me, which I’m sure you can get very easily, it’s very fresh on tape, he said the most beautiful things about me,” Trump said. “And he hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next. But I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Trump went on to suggest that Musk might just be so sad that he’s no longer working in the White House that it’s making him personally upset.
“A lot of good things are happening in this room,” Trump said, referring to the Oval Office. “And I’ll tell you, it’s not… he’s not the first. People leave my administration, and they love us. And then, at some point, they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile.”
Trump is, of course, notorious for alienating people who work for him, but that’s largely chalked up to the fact that he’s a narcissistic fascist who only cares about himself.
“I don’t know what it is. It’s sort of Trump Derangement Syndrome, I guess they call it. But we have it with others, too. They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamour’s gone. The whole world is different, and they become hostile. I don’t know what it is,” Trump said, saying journalists might one day “write a book about it and let us know.”
There have been several books published by Trump’s former staff, including those by former national security advisor John Bolton, former deputy director of the FBI Andrew McCabe, and former chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security Miles Taylor. None of them is flattering, to say the least.
The budget bill has passed the U.S. House but needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be signed into law by the president. Republicans are trying to get the bill passed before July 4, though that timeline is regarded as unrealistic, given the challenges. Whatever happens, the bill needs to pass by August, when the U.S. Treasury projects the country will hit the debt ceiling and go into default.
The press conference on Thursday also involved a wide range of topics involving Trump’s favorite complaints, including former President Joe Biden’s use of the Autopen, a tool used by presidents to sign documents. Trump has tried to claim that it was “the biggest scandal in maybe 100 years.”
But Trump is really most at home when he can discuss the palace intrigue of the day. And when the wealthiest man in the world is starting to throw shade at the U.S. president’s most important piece of legislation, the American media landscape is bound to start looking a lot more like reality TV drama.
English (US) ·